Specializing in Yoga for Children
and Individuals with Special Needs
Classes are online via Zoom, at private Long Island studios and schools or program locations.
Please contact us to schedule privates, group classes or to discuss your school or program’s needs. We will design a program or find the class that works best to serve you. All classes are open to the public.
Benefits Of Yoga and Mindfulness
Body:
- Builds Physical strength
- Increases flexibilities, endurance and stamina
- Increase lung capacity and capability
- Improves posture and alignment
- Improves balance, body awareness, focus and coordination
- Balances the right and left sides of the body and the brain
- Helps with digestion and a healthy immune system
- Helps with restful sleep patterns
- Regulates weight and balances metabolism
Mind:
- Encourages us to stay in the present moment
- Builds positive thinking and a positive outlook
- Expands the imagination
- Promotes mindfulness and compassion
- Calms and balances
- Balances mood swings
- Helps with stress and anxiety
- Strengthens problem solving skills
- Balances the brain
- Supports a healthy memory
- Helps with self-regulation
Spirit:
- Encourages self-care and appreciation
- Increase confidence and self-esteem
- Builds team-work skills and support of others
- Builds self-regulating skills
- Encourages compassion of others, ourselves, animals and the planet
- Creates a positive outlook
- Support self-expression
- Promotes self-control
- Promotes forgiveness and letting go
Benefits of Yoga in the schools:
- The teachers are doing it too!
- Encourages respect for all beings
- Supports anti bullying
- Teaches tools and strategies to quickly and effectively deal with anger
- Encourages and supports techniques to relieve stress and anxiety
- Focuses and redirects
- Promotes healthy coping skills
- Supports a healthy lifestyle
- Encourages positive self-talk
- Improves communication and harmony within the classroom
- Improves listening and focus
Benefits of Yoga for Adults and Children with Special Needs:
- The ability to self-regulate (calm, sooth)
- Decreases pain, anxiety, anger, aggression self-stimulating activities
- Increases strength and flexibility
- Strengthens imitation skills
- Builds confidence and independence
- Increase overall peace
- Increases focus and presence
- Increases body awareness
- Builds balance and coordination
- Promotes better posture
- Promotes mindfulness
- Provides tools and techniques to help with everyday living
- Yoga becomes a life skill
Danielle Rae has been bringing yoga to children and individuals with special needs since 2010 and is considered an expert in her field. In 2018 she wanted to spread yoga and mindfulness to more students, so she created a Yoga Training for Special Needs which is registered by Yoga Alliance. All studio teachers are Special Needs Trained and were mentored by Danielle Rae.
Yoga Sessions
All Yoga sessions are by appointment only
Sessions will always be modified to work with the individual or group.
Classes consist of yoga poses, breathing techniques, mindfulness, visualizations, affirmations, singing bowls, meditation and coaching to enable the student to access yoga tools when needed.
30 Minute Session is appropriate for ages 5 and under
45 Minute Session is appropriate for children, teenagers and special needs individuals
60 Minute Session is appropriate for teenagers, adults and special needs individuals
Private Session
| 30 minutes | $50 |
| 45 minutes | $90 |
| 60 minutes | $120 |
Semi-private Session
| 45 minutes, 2-4 students | $45 per student |
| 60 minutes, 2-4 students | $60 per student |
Special Needs Yoga Training
20 Hours CE
Class is being modified to live stream. Spring dates will be announced soon. Email Danielle to receive updates about the training.
$795, payment plan available
Contact Danielle for more information.
Creator and teacher: Danielle Rae Bonfanti ERYT, RCYT
Do you work in the special needs field, have a special needs individual or are a yoga instructor looking to serve this wonderful community?
Incorporating yoga, breathing and mindfulness will provide you with the tools needed to serve them. The training will cover teaching yoga to special needs students of all ages and abilities. A full understanding of the benefits of breathing, mindfulness, affirmations and yoga poses will enable you to incorporate yoga into the student’s life or facilitate a group or private class.
You will learn to coach students how to use yoga techniques and tools as strategies in everyday life. Skills will enable students to self-regulate, soothe, learn more efficiently, increase physical strength and flexibility, focus and be more balanced physically, mentally and emotionally. Typical students will also benefit from the skills learned.
Training is designed for special needs providers, caregivers, parents, teachers, yoga teachers and children’s yoga teachers.
If you are not a certified yoga instructor, one year of yoga practice is highly recommended.
Training includes:
- Understanding yoga and mindfulness for the special needs student
- Learn how to coach your students and how to use yoga poses, meditation, mindfulness, breathing and affirmations in real life moments to self-regulate
- Pose break down, modification, physical benefits and emotional benefits
- Teaching cue words, techniques, strategies specific to special needs
- Brain balancing techniques
- Visualization, meditations, mindfulness, partner poses, breathing techniques, games
- Complete manual, adaptable lesson plans for group and private practice
- Student observations during 3-day training
Mentorship opportunities are available after completing the training if you would like to be coached or to deepen your skills.
Yoga On Demand
Yoga for Kids
These playful and purposeful videos were created in 2015 to bring yoga, mindfulness and breathing to children of all abilities. Videos are available for purchase On Demand via Podia.
Watch preview of the Yoga Video
Free Yoga Videos
This Yoga for all Abilities video was designed for Danielle’s school programs and special needs students so that they could continue to practice during Covid-19. It is appropriate for children, and children and adults with special needs.